2006: A World Odyssey

Hello once again, another year has nearly finished, time to remember what the hell happened the past 12 months...

Some of the stuff I did this year:
Visited the motherland Vietnam for the first time
Went to a couple games in the World Cup in Germany
Lived and worked in London and New York in 6 months
Was a couch surfing member of the Valetta Road crew
Had a kebab in 10 countries - and didn't get sick once
Heard endless debate whether I have an Australian or American accent
Said "G'day" to Hugh Jackman in Central Park (well my friend Daniel did, but I'll take the credit)
Returned to my employment roots - flipping burgers! (many thanks Quinn)
Drove on the right side of the road once again (only twice was on the wrong side of the road in Phoenix - don't tell Jason)
Bid a fond farewell to Western Health
Reunited with Ruth after a long few months
Blocking Kara on the last shot of the game - just like old times

By the numbers:
0 - the amount of hours of complete darkness in a summer night in Gothenburg, Sweden (thank you Jenny and Richie)
1 - number of times I saw the Socceroos live (in London, not at World Cup)
3 - airports I have spent the night in
12 - countries where I had a kebab
32 - cities and towns I have either spent the entire day or overnight at

Stuff I'm looking forward to next year:
Starting my job proper in New York (assuming I passed the license exam)
Returning to Melbourne
Exploring more of the US and Canada
Supporting Aussie bands in NYC playing in dive bars
Enjoying living in a Manhattan apartment, and not living out of a suitcase for a while
Watching the Suns win an NBA championship
Watching a Super Bowl on SUNDAY night, not Monday morning!

Favorites
Music
Albums
John Mayer - Continuum
Jurassic 5 - Feedback
James Morrison - Undiscovered
The Kooks - Inside In/Inside Out
Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds
Hilltop Hoods - The Hard Road
Razorlight - Razorlight
The Roots - Game Theory
The Black Keys - Magic Potion
Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way

Honorable Mention - John Legend, The Zutons, Arctic Monkeys, Muse

Singles
Orson - No Tomorrow
Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
Muse - Starlight
Nelly Furtado - Promiscuous (ft. Timbaland)
The Flaming Lips - The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song
Dialated Peoples - Kindness For Weakness (ft. Talib Kweli)
Justin Timberlake - My Love (ft. T.I.)
Bliss N Eso - Then Til Now
The Automatic - Monster

Movies (the only movies I've seen)
Casino Royale
Pirates of the Caribbean 2
American Gun
Little Miss Sunshine
The Inside Man
United 93

Honorable Mention: Date Movie, The Da Vinci Code

Books (only book I read)
Freakonomics

TV
Scrubs
JTV
The Daily Show
The Amazing Race Season 10 (I was nearly in it!)

Events/Other Stuff
World Cup Matches: Brazil v Croatia, Holland v Ivory Coast
Socceroos v Ghana in London [with Sharna and Terry]
Roller Disco in London [with Sharni]
V Festival, Lovebox Weekender, Jurassic 5, Shihad, Take That (purely for work!) in London
Phoenix Coyotes v Columbus Blue Jackets @ Glendale Arena (my hometown!)
Avenue Q in West End, London [with Garnet]
Avenue Q, The Drowsy Chaperone on Broadway, NYC [with Ruth & Lisa]
Wimbledon in Wimbledon
Stones In His Pockets (play) in Dublin [with Lisa]

So that's my year in a nutshell. Hope you are having a great time wherever you are. Feel free to send your own year in review!

DN